Let's be up-beat! It does seem that neighbourhood planning is throwing up some interesting initiatives. After my lecture, I was told by someone that a neighbourhood plan in the vicinity of the Elephant and Castle area of London - an area subject to a long history of reliance on growth-dependent planning - now includes a policy stating that developments have to have regard to the specific needs of the local Hispanic community. This would be a fascinating departure, highlighting the need to plan specifically for local communities that might not benefit from the current development proposals.Indeed this community is at risk of losing vital local retail and commercial facilities from the redevelopment proposals.
Another exciting example comes from Kent where the neighbourhood of St. Margaret's at Cliffe (a walk along the cliff-tops from Dover) is using its community plan to move towards a low-carbon future. This village is already a Kent Low Carbon Community and hosts an eco-conference centre. It is now building sustainability into its draft neighbourhood plan with an emphasis on: sustainable local economic development; sustainable housing including affordable housing; energy efficiency for all the built stock; and decentralised low-carbon energy systems. This looks like another one to watch.
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